Life-boat grip.



F. G. ERRICSON. LIFE BOAT GRIP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23. 1917.

Patented. Apr. 30, 1918.,

J v WNW IIWEIIITOR ticularly the relation of the lever LIFE-BOAT GRIP.

racers.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 311,191.

Application filed November 23, 1917. Serial No. 203,611. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRAN -Gr. ERRIGSON, a citizen of the United States, and a residentof Green Creek, in the county. of Cape May and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Life-Boat Grip, of which the following is a full, clear,

and exact description.

' This invention relates to ships: and has particular reference to grips or devices employed for lashingor securing life boats or the like on ships decks, but preventing them from swaying, tilting, 'or swinging with respect to their davits or other overhead supporting means.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a grip that primarily will hold the boat with absolute security, and which from the verynature of the employment or adaptation thereof is required to, be easily and quickly released so that in the event of emergency. requiring the launchingof the boat no time shall be lost in freeing the boat from its anchorage on the deck or other place of support.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a grip so constructed that its release shall not be interfered with by snow,

ice,or any other weather condition.

And yet an object is to provide grips for life boats that are adapted to be ireleasedreadily from the boats by any passenger or occupant of the same.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in thearrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact. de-

tails of construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same partsin the several views, and in which- 3 Figure l is a. vertical-transverse section of a boat supported in position upon adeck by my improvement. 1

Fig. 2 is a view corresponding to the left side of Fig. 1, but indicating the grip in its released position. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the main part of the improvement showing partrigger or catch.

a socket 13; a bar member 14 to" the Fig.4 is ahorizontal sectionaldetail on the line 4+4of Fig. 3. W i i 1 Fig. 5 is a sectional detail on the line 5 -5 OfFlgtl;

i Fig. 6 is atransverse sectional detail on theline.6.6 of Fig. 1. i Fig. 7 is-a detailviewof the shackle mak- 111g connection with the deck; and

F 1g. 8 is. a view corresponding to Fig. 1, but indicating a slight modification in deslgn of my improvement, 'fully described below. i

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, I show my invention as comprising a main body portion indicated as a whole at 10 and comprisingfour main parts as follows: A shank member 11 having a hook12 at itsupper end adapted to engage over and securely hold uponthe gunwale G of the boat B and having at its lower end having its upper endbeveled at 15 for direct cooperation in a recess 16 of the shank member when the bar member lies in longitudinal 'alinement with or as a. continuation of the main straight portion of the shank in holding, and a catch member 20 movably con nected to the upperend of the shank memher and adaptedto engage over the otherwlse free upper end 21 of the lever." i Noting now these several parts with some particularity, it will be observed that the. upper portion of the shank memberatits outer face is. provided with'a dovetailed channel 22 along which the catch-20 is adapted-to slide, laterally projecting flanges 23 of the catch member having interlocking engagement in the channel 22 preventing outward or:- lateral displacement of the catch from the shank but permitting easy endwise movement of the catch. The lower end of thecatch member consists of a lug 24.- which projects below the flanges 23 where it overlaps theend 21 of the lever. See Fig. 3. The short arm or pivot portion of the lever extends at an oblique angle from the longer arm portion thereof, the end of the shorter arm projecting into the socket 13 through whichthepivot 18 projects.) Said'shorterarm al'so'jlies within a socket '25' formed in the upper end of the bar member and through which the pivot pin 19 projects parallel to the pivot 18. The hook 12 may be of any desired form or construction adapted, however, to conform with the shape of the gunwale but havmg reliable engagement thereover preventing any possibility of release of the bodyprematurely. e

.Any suitable flexible connections. may be made between thebar14 andthe deck or other point of anchorage for. the grip. The means I indicate for this-purpose. includes a. short-chain '26 any link of which is adapted to be secured in the socket 27 at the lower end ofthe bar member and held by a pin 28, While the lower link of the chain is connected ;to' the threaded bolt 29 of the shackle, the body'of which 30, isoivotedat 31 to a cockeye32, -or'the like 'xed to the deck. Theconstruction of the shackle indicated best in Fig. 7 adapts it for accurate adjustment as to length of the flexible connection, the approximate length thereof being determined by selection of the link secured at the pin 28.. In other words with the shackle fixed to the deck the operator infitting the grip to'the boat- B will approximate the desired length of the shank by the selection of the desired link to the chain 26 and then he will accurately adjust the length by a roztationof the bolt 29 inthe body portion of the shackle so as to cause the grip to be taut whe'nthe'lever 17 is swung up to its locking position as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

. By-comparison now of Figs. 2 and 3 the action of the device will be readily understood in. the release of the boat. In the -locking or holding position of the grip the swinging'ofthe lever 17 aroundathe pivot I8 i'nto' lockingfposition carriesthe pivot 19. from a point'below the pivot 18 to a point'wellabove. the same. In other words that portion of the. lever between the pivots .18 and 19 constitutes in: elfect alink between the other. two main portions of the grip, said li'nkflbeing' effective to make a decidedly longer connection when the lever is loose than when thelever is locked. From this it follows; that with the grip snug or taut in the locking position of: the leverin Figs. 1 and 3 upon' release of the lever it will swing freely around the pivot 18, such swinging movement being initiated by and made effective by the tensionset up inthe grip duringgth e. locking-thereof. Hence when the lever is rele'asedand the link portion thereof .between'the two pivots is, hanging pendent from the pivot 18 the grip'as a whole between the gunwale and the shackle is immediately made so loose that the hook 1 2 may bepassedeasilyover the gunwale and freed cident to the setting or looking thereof in the normal or holding position may be con 'siderable, such strain is borne prim'arilv on lever, therefore, the strain tending to swing the upper end of the lever outwardly from the shank is comparatively. insignificant with respect tothe force required to slide the catch 20 upwardly along the channel 22 which'may be easily done by a finger of either hand of the operator when the boat is to be-releasedL In the practice of my invention'I preferably fill the joints or crevices of theshank and lever members with tallow, or its equivalent, for the purpose of excluding rain which might freeze and otherwise interfere with the freedom of movement of the parts at the time a release of the boat may be required.

In the preferred form or adaptation of the invention I indicate the lever 17 as movable around the pivot 18 in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the boat. In some instances, however, this adaptation is not expedient, especially where there is an obstacle such as a rail, another boat or other obstacle placed in close priximity to that portion of the gunwale or boat to be anchored or lashed. To this endI show in Fig. 8 a slight modification in form of the shank structure wherein the hook 12 is indicated as projecting laterally from the upper portionof the shank 11, the arrangement being uch that the lever 17 will swing freely in a plane close and'parallel to the side of the boat. In every other respect the grip is essentially the same as has already been fully set forth.

I claim:

1. The herein described life boat grip comprising a shank member having a rigid hook to engage over the gunwale, a bar member, a lever pivotally connected to both the shank and the bar member and serving as a link to increase the effective length of the device in one position while in its normal locking position it serves as a tightener, catch means slidable along the shank member to hold the lever in holding position, and flexible connections between the bar member and the deck.

2. In a life boat grip; the combination of a main body portion having a rigidly connee-ted hook to engage over the gunwale of the life boat, and flexible connecting means between said body portion and the deck, said connection serving to permanently connect the body to the deck and including means; to accurately adjust the length of the device, said body member including a pivoted hand controlled lever comprising a link for quickly extending the length of the body portion to free the hook from the gunwale.

3. In a life boat grip, the combination of a body portion comprising a shank, a bar member in longitudinal alinement therewith, a lever pivotally connected to both the shank member and the bar member and constituting a connecting link between the shank and bar members, and a movable catch cooperating with the free end of the lever 10 ble means connecting the bar member to the 15 deck.

FRANK G. ERRICSON.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

